Beyond Organic Local Farm Products

Preparing for a Snowstorm: Reinforcing the Rabbit Hoophouse

We are expecting our first major snowfall tonight, with 8-12″ forecast. I’m thankful we’ve made it until March before getting some major snow. I am also thankful our worst case scenario is 1 foot of snow, not 3 feet like we experienced January 2016.

We had a few preparations to make before the snowfall, one of which was to reinforce our rabbit hoophouse. The hoophouse is about 2 years old, and the weight of the rabbits and cages has caused some wear. (One of our projects this year is to build on to our rabbitry and move the cages from this hoophouse to the rabbitry, retiring the hoophouse completely).

Unfortunately I did not get a “before” photo, but the hoophouse was listing heavily to one side, and we worried it didn’t have the structural integrity to withstand the weight of snow. We needed to prop it up so that it had more of a proper arch, giving it strength.

We achieved this by pounding in t-posts to use as support, and using 2x4s and 1x4s to push the hoophouse back into an arch and hold it there. You can see the bracing setup in the photos above. A 1×4 was attached to the hoophouse with twine tied through the tarp to the cattle panels underneath. 2x4s where wedged between the 1×4 and the t-post, held in place at the 1×4 by screws. This bracing exerts enough pressure to hold the hoophouse in its original shape, giving it more structural integrity. We are confident it should now withstand the snowfall.

I hope all of our local friends are ready for the snowstorm. May your livestock be safe and your house be warm!